After widespread indignation was expressed over the treatment of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, the Spanish and Brazilian football federations unveiled their idea on Tuesday for a friendly match to be played at the Santiago Bernabeu in March 2024 with the intention of combating racism.
After getting into a confrontation with fans in one stand in May, the Brazil winger, who is 22 years old, was subjected to racist insults by Valencia fans. This incident sparked indignation all over the globe.
At the stadium in Madrid, Spain’s national team players Ansu Fati and Rodrigo Moreno were there as the head of the Spanish federation, Luis Rubiales, and his Brazilian counterpart, Ednaldo Rodrigues, discussed their strategies for the next match.
At a press conference, Rubiales made the following announcement: “I want to announce that the match against racism between Spain and Brazil will be held at the Santiago Bernabeu.”
“It’s the perfect setting for a matchup between two of the best teams in the world,” said one commentator.
Rubiales said that the match taking place in March was contingent on Spain qualifying directly for Euro 2024, since those dates could be required for play-offs if Spain does not qualify directly for the tournament.
Rodrigues said that “(the game is) a way of saying ‘enough'” in this context.
“It protects the joy that our football brings, and it demonstrates that this intolerance and attitude cannot be tolerated.”
After he was treated in an offensive manner, Vinicius delivered a statement in which he used harsh language and said, “Today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists.”
Rodrigo, a forward for Leeds and a native of Brazil, expressed his satisfaction with the match’s preparations after learning that its motto will be “The Same Skin.”
Rodrigo said, “I think it’s a great initiative on the part of both federations,” in response to the question.
It is absolutely vital to make advantage of the power that football has to speak out against prejudice and to fight against it.
After a wave of indignation over the treatment of Vinicius, a citizen of the state of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, lawmakers in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro enacted a bill on Tuesday, early in the month of June, to limit football matches that are influenced by racial insults.
The Spanish authorities have handed stadium bans and penalties to fans who have been found guilty of insulting Vinicius throughout the last week.